Day 1: Bukchon Hanok Village and Insadong

Bukchon Hanok Village is a Korean traditional village which reflects Seoul's history. It is where the past and present Seoul meet. 👭

Alley of beautifully restored Hanok

After Gyeongbokgung, we head over to Bukchon Hanok Village by foot. It was quite a walk.

Its the climb!

We exited at the right gate of the palace, walk straight and turned left at Bukchon Ro 5-gil. Walk ahead then turn left at Bukchon Ro. Enter through the alleyway of Donmi Pharmacy. This map helps.

Bukchon Hanok Village is quite hilly, so prepare yourself for an instant cardio workout. Wear comfortable shoes if you can.

Mandatory photo in hanok.

The neighborhood was quiet, it is not crowded with tourists when we got there. There were coffee and tea shops in a hanok setting but we're not able to try it. Maybe next time. 👌 Let us know if you have tried them and how was the experience! 🍵

After traipsing around Bukchon Hanok Village, we went to Ssamziegil - a shopping center located in Insadong. It has a unique and interesting architectural design - each level was formed like a spiral stairway.

Ssamziegil's unique design.

There food stalls on the first floor; we tried the poop bread for 1,500 won - it is a hot cake in the shape of a poo with a filling inside. You can choose between chocolate or red bean. We chose chocolate. 💙💚

Poop at it's finest 😁

After strolling in Insadong Street, we head home. I felt that we were not able to see the beauty of Bukchon Hanok Village and Insadong at its best because of time constraints and us, getting lost all the time (which is quite fun!). But will be back to learn more about it's history and culture. 😉


Related:
7-Day Seoul Itinerary
Day 2: Everland (에버랜드) Part 1

Day 1: Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁)

Take a step back in time in one of the historic places in Seoul, the Gyeongbokgung Palace. It is the largest of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon dynasty. If you want to to visit just a single one, it has to be Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Entrance of the Royal palace

It was our first day and we don't know where to start. Thankfully, we found tourism eonnies who helped us and directed us to the palace, pointing out that instead of taking the subway, we can just walk because it is good for our body. So we walked to Gyeongbokgung palace for 15 minutes.

For those who have to get there by subway:

Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3) Exit 5
161, Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 종로구 사직로 161 (세종로)

Admission fee to Gyeongbokgung Palace is 3,000 won for adults but its is free when wearing a hanbok. We rented ours in Insadong for 12,000 won (including Sok Chima- similar to petticoat, head piece and small handbag) for 2 hours. You can stroll around Gyeongbokgung, Insadong and Bukchon in your hanbok.

Make use of the pillars in your photos :)

What to do?

Bask in the grandness of the palace.

Catch autumn foliage.

Make friends.

Witness changing of guards ceremony (though we missed the schedule) - we will definitely catch next time.

Schedule: 6 times a day, every hour on the hour starting at 10:00 (10:00~16:00) - 10 minutes per ceremony.

You can also check Visit Korea website, this helped us a lot.

Related:
7-Day Seoul Itinerary
Day 1: Bukchon Hanok Village and Insadong

My K-2016

2016 is almost over but I still have heaps of Kdramas to watch. Here are some of my personal favorites.

1. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
I don't watch historical kdramas that much but Scarlet Heart changed my heart LOL. Lee Joon Gi portrayed his fierce yet warm-hearted role convincingly. The way he looks at Hae Soo will melt your heart. You'll wish to be Hae Soo, I promise. 😁

Prepare your heart for all the kilig that the SoSoo (Wang So and Hae Soo) will bring!

Hae Soo with the princes

2. W-Two Worlds
This kdrama is intriguing. It will make you so curious that you'll keep watching the next episode then you'll realize that it's already 4am (haha from experience).

I was hesitant to watch this kdrama at first as  I am not a Lee Jong-suk fan, but girls prepare to fall in love with Kang Chul's 😊 and 😉

W.

3. Descendants of the Sun
The plot  is a bit dry but who will not love Song Joong Ki (okay I am bias here) plus the bromance of two brusque soldiers, isn't that cute? 🙊✌️

That scene though.

4. Oh My Venus
The story is ordinary but Kang Joo Eun (Shim Min-a) and Coachnim Kim Young Ho (So Ji Sub) has unquestionable chemistry that's just fun to watch. Henry and Sung Hoon's character is cute too.

Daegu Venus and Coachnim

5. Doctors
I will be biased here too. I watched this kdrama because of Doctor Jung Yoon Do (Yoon Kyun Sang) but I was a bit disappointed. The 'love triangle' was resolved easily, no tension at all. HAHAHA! It was good watching all those medical stuff.

Yoon Do's smile 😬

Update as of 3/24/2017:

6. The K2
This is the 2nd action kdrama that I watched (first one is City Hunter). I loved the action scenes but it was too much for me. If you love action stuff, then  you should watch this.

7. Cheese in the Trap
I wrote a separate review on this kdrama :) My thoughts here.


Check these reviews too:
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
The Heirs
Legend of the Blue Sea

Getting Around Seoul

If you enjoy walking around, then Seoul is so right for you! You'll walk most of the time so pack your most comfortable shoes.

Walk around Seoul and enjoy this scenic view

Seoul has a huge yet well-designed subway system which is very convenient for foreigners like us; directional signs are written in English. There are also prerecorded voice announcements that give the upcoming station, any possible line transfer, and the exiting side in English. I hope to have this kind of subway system in the Philippines in the future.

Patience is a virtue.

The Seoul Metro Subway system was a bit overwhelming for us at first as the map looks really complicated; we're only used to MRT and LRT. 🙈 But it gets easier and simpler as we use it.

Seoul Metropolitan Subway Map (Courtesy of Seoul Metro Traffic Center)

Subway system maps are posted all over the subway and trains but I suggest to download the Subway Korea mobile application which shows the completed subway map and the real-time arrival of the trains. If you are travelling to Seoul, this application is a MUST! It is a life saver.

T-money card bought from the airport.

Another must-have is the T-money card. Although you can buy single journey tickets, it will be more convenient and 100 won cheaper to purchase the T-money card. It is a reloadable card used for paying transportation fares (bus, taxi, subway) in and out of Seoul. It can also be used for purchases in convenience stores such as GS25, CU, 7-eleven, etc. You can recharge T-money cards in the card reload machines inside the subway stations or convenience stores displaying the T-money logo.

We don't have much information and experience travelling through bus and taxi. We use the subway and our feet mostly.🚍🚖

Where to stay in Seoul? 24 Guesthouse Myeongdong Avenue Review

If you are looking for a clean and convenient yet affordable accommodation for your Seoul trip, then this is the right one for you - 24 Guesthouse Myeongdong Avenue. It is conveniently located 3 minutes away from Namdeumun Market, 8 minutes to City Hall Station, Exit 7 and 12 minutes away to Myeongdong Shopping Street; all by foot.

There are convenience stores and restaurants near the area; Pojangmacha (food/soju tents) are set-up along the street during night.

We booked an Economy Triple Room through Agoda a month before our arrival for Php 17, 359. We suggest to book your accommodation early as you'll be left with few choices if you choose to book weeks before your arrival.

24 Guesthouse pantry area

The room is clean and complete with all you need; small refrigerator, hair dryer, TV, towels, mugs, shampoo, body wash and even toner are there. Breakfast (cereal and milk, bread and jam, coffee and tea) is served from 7am-10am, well not actually served as you need to prepare them yourself, you need to wash your own dishes as well.

Breakfast on a cold weather. 

Ahjussi is so kind and helpful; he tried very hard to help us even there is some sort of language barrier. Saranghaeyo Ahjussi 💖

Let me warn you, the bathroom is small, just enough to move hahaha! And at night, there are drunk ahjussis along the street as I said, there are restaurants and pojangmachas near the guesthouse, but they seem harmless hahaha.

I have nothing bad to say about this guesthouse, will definitely book again! 😃

24 Guesthouse Myeongdong Avenue
134-1, Bukchang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea

Tel : (82)-(0)2-753-8700
Fax : (82)-(0)2-753-8701
Email : md-avenue@24guesthouse.co.kr

Next:
Transportation in Seoul 

How to Apply for Korean Tourist Visa for Filipino Employees

Renewing passport and applying for a Korean Tourist Visa are not as hard as you think, its actually easy, fast and FREE!

How to renew your passport

Let's get started with your passport, so before booking a flight, make sure that your passport is not yet expired 6 months before your trip. If it is, immediately schedule an appointment to the DFA near you. You can check their site for schedule and requirements: DFA.

I checked their site for appointment last May and the only available schedule was after a month, so I booked for June. I chose the SM Megamall branch since it is the one nearest to me. I arrived earlier than my appointment time which is 1pm, but I was able to get in because the guard was not very strict and did not even ask me if I have an appointment. There were only few people and I only spent less than an hour inside. The staff were nice and good thing that they have a step by step instructions so it was easy for the applicants to follow. Just a piece of advice, do not wear sleeveless top as there will be a picture taking for your passport photo.

How to apply for a Korean Tourist Visa for Employees

Please note that we only included the requirements for Employees. If you want to check the requirements for other status, you can visit the Korean Embassy website 

1. Application Form - [download]
2. 1 piece of Passport size colored picture
3. Original Passport (should be valid for more than 6 months)
4. Photocopy of Passport Bio-page (page 2)
5. Original Certificate of Employment (must include applicant's position, date hired, compensation, office address, HR landline number(cellphone number is not allowed), HR e-mail address)
6. Original Personal Bank Certificate (must include account type, current balance, account opening date, ADB)
7. Bank Statement (original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook for the last 3 months)
8. ITR(Income Tax Return or Form 2316 Copy) 

If applicable only:

• Original & Photocopy of valid visa/s and arrival stamps to OECD member countries for past 5 years
• Copy of PRC Card or IBP Card

Gather all your requirements and schedule a visit to the embassy. Upon entering the embassy, you need to sign on their log sheet. Once inside, you will see a staff near the entrance, he/she will be the one to check if your requirements are complete and will give you a number. Wait for your number to be called. When you are called, present the documents to the Consul. He/she will check and receive the documents. You will be given a claim stub containing the date when you need to return to the embassy. No assurance yet that your visa is approved. Just pray and wait for your judgement day! 😄 It took us just about 5 minutes, while our travel time was almost 2 hrs. HAHAHA

Tips:

• Reviewing your co-travellers requirements is very important! ( I almost submitted my co-traveller's Form 2316 Copy)
• Put all your requirements in an envelope.
• Make sure your bank account is opened for at least 6 months from the date you applied for a visa.
• For employees, you can use your payroll account.

Filing of visa: 8:30-11:00 AM (Monday to Friday)
Claiming of visa: 1:30-4:00 PM (Monday to Friday)
Processing Time: 5 days for first time applicants and 3 days for frequent travellers
Processing Fee: Free for 59 days/less stay, Php 1,800 for 60 to 90 days stay

Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Republic of the Philippines

Address : 122 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig city 1634, Philippines

Tel : (63-2) 856-9210, Fax : (63-2) 856-9008  |  Hours of Operation : 08:30~17:00 (Mon-Fri)

Planning for a perfect trip to Seoul? Here's how we started.

It all started... with our love for Gong Tae Kwang of Who Are You: School 2015. 💘 Since then, we've been crazy over Kdramas that we deprive ourselves with sleep. HAHA, yes we do that, do you? We've been so curious on how it feels to be soaked into their world. To kill this curiosity, we started to plan our Seoul trip.

Photo from Google

We saved.Most of the blogs we've read said that they spent 30-35K for the Seoul trip so we started by saving. We opened a new bank account for this trip, just to make sure that it is safeguarded from ourselves! Hahaha! It took us a year to prepare, seriously! 😁
We booked.We booked our flight tickets from Cebu Pacific for PHP 7027 including 15kg baggage allowance, travel insurance and seat selection fee. We didn't notice the seat selection fee when we booked the tickets so better check the inclusions before booking. Our tickets are special promo rates, make it a habit to check airlines' page to be updated with their promos.
We arranged.We renewed our passports, applied for visa, booked accommodation and arranged our itinerary. Then the long wait was over! ✈

Check out these links!
Get your passport and visa ready!
Where to stay in Seoul?
Our 7-day Seoul Itinerary